Author: John Scalzo

John Scalzo is Warp Zoned's Editor-In-Chief and resident retro gaming expert. You can email him at john AT warpzoned DOT com.

New Retail Releases: WarioWare Gold, More

Posted on July 30, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo is showing 3DS owners that there’s still some life left in their dedicated handheld with this week’s release of WarioWare Gold. Featuring more than 300 new and returning “microgames,” WarioWare Gold is the biggest entry in the series to date and the first to appear on the 3DS (though it’s only playable in 2D).

The remainder of this week’s new retail releases are games making their Switch debut, including THQ Nordic’s Diablo-like hack-and-slash action RPG, Titan Quest; Nicalis’s anime-inspired hack-and-slash RPG, Code of Princess EX; and a 25th Anniversary Edition re-release of Paul Cuisset’s “cinematic platformer,” Flashback.

This quartet of games is it for now, but as always, we’ll be back later this week with a look at more new titles coming to the PlayStation Store, Xbox Games Store, and Nintendo eShop.

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch | Tagged ,

In a first for the franchise, you’ll be able to create female players in NBA Live 19’s Create-A-Player mode

Posted on July 28, 2018 by John Scalzo

With the WNBA season winding down, EA Sports has announced that NBA Live 19‘s Create-A-Player mode will give players the option to create female players for the first time. Players will be able to select their position, height, and weight, as well as add their own face to the game using a companion face scanning app.

According to a post from EA Sports’s Rahul Lal on Xbox Wire, the women will be able to play in WNBA games and in NBA Live 19’s career mode:

Inclusion. It’s more than just recognizing everybody. Instead, inclusion puts together the best of equality, representation, and integration. In NBA Live 19, you’ll get the chance to see female created players for the first time in NBA Live’s history. Not only will you be able to create your own player, but women will now also be included in the game and can embark on their own career mode in The Rise.

Players will be mentored by Candace Parker of the Los Angeles Sparks as they progress through NBA Live 19’s career mode, and she can also be recruited to join your Squad in The Streets portion of the mode. You can sneak a peek at NBA Live 19’s Create-A-Player mode, and hear directly from Parker about her role in the game, in the trailer embedded above.

NBA Live 19 will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on September 7. And a free demo is set to launch on August 24… just in time for the WNBA Playoffs.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

Drive a car, a plane, and a submarine this September with the Nintendo Labo: Vehicle Kit

Posted on July 27, 2018 by John Scalzo

Nintendo promised that more Nintendo Labo kits would be coming in 2018, and the third cardboard construction set was revealed late last night by the consolemaker.

The Nintendo Labo: Vehicle Kit gives players the opportunity to build a steering wheel (for a car), a flight stick (for a plane), and a ship’s wheel (for a submarine)… and they’ll be able to switch between them at will using two cardboard keys as they “explore a mysterious world”:

Nintendo Labo: Vehicle Kit will unlock even more ways for people to make, play and discover together, as they speed through races, battle cars equipped with extendable arms and explore a mysterious world. Each vehicle features its own controls and special moves, and with the second Key, players can even invite a co-pilot along on their in-game journey. Interacting with the assembled Toy-Con creations instantly translates into in-game actions to create a truly immersive experience – from pulling the cord on the Car to pop a wheelie, pushing the button on the Submarine to launch a grappling hook and so much more.

The Nintendo Labo: Vehicle Kit will be available for the Switch on September 14. The game will be priced at $69.99, and its adorable first trailer has been embedded above.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

Nickelodeon Kart Racers puts characters from SpongeBob, Ninja Turtles, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and more in driver’s seat this Fall

Posted on July 26, 2018 by John Scalzo

Characters from Nickelodeon’s massive stable of animated shows will soon get the chance to race for the checkered flag. That’s because the children’s channel has announced a partnership with GameMill Entertainment to launch Nickelodeon Kart Racers this Fall.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Rugrats, SpongeBob, Hey Arnold, and many other Nickelodeon characters will be available to pick in the games. Fans of all ages will also be able to partake in four-player local play, along with 24 different tracks, customizable karts, multiple power-ups and special attacks, and a Team Racing Mode:

Select a racer from one of your favorite Nickelodeon series, including SpongeBob, Patrick, and Sandy from SpongeBob SquarePants, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Arnold and Helga from Hey Arnold!, and Angelica, Tommy and Reptar from Rugrats. Race your friends in up to four-player local multiplayer or check out the Battle Arena for a variety of challenges.

Nickelodeon Kart Racers is in development at Bamtang, and will be released for the PS4, Switch, and Xbox One on October 23.

Posted in News, PS4, Switch, Xbox One | Tagged

The Banner Saga 3, Titan Quest, Flashback, more coming to Nintendo eShop this week

Posted on July 26, 2018 by John Scalzo

It looks like it’s time for another Nintendo eShop update. As usual, more than 20 new games will be available to download for the Switch. Here’s what’s on tap for this week…

RPG fans should be on the lookout for The Banner Saga 3, the grand finale to Stoic’s strategy RPG series, as well as Titan Quest, an action RPG that was originally released for the PC in 2006. Also set to launch this week for the Switch is Flashback, a modern remake of Delphine Software’s “cinematic platformer,” which was first released in 1992.

Finally this week, Nintendo will partner with Hamster Corporation to bring Sky Skipper, one of the consolemaker’s earliest arcade games, to the Switch.

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Nintendo eShop (including Go Vacation, Code of Princess EX, The King of Fighters ’97, and more) after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch | Tagged ,

2K and WWE honor Ric Flair with the WWE 2K19 Wooooo! Edition

Posted on July 26, 2018 by John Scalzo

I guess we finally know how many Os are officially in Ric Flair’s signature shout, as 2K Games has announced that WWE 2K19 will also be released this Fall in a very special (and very limited) Wooooo! Edition.

WWE 2K19’s Wooooo! Edition is limited to 30,000 copies worldwide, and it’ll come packaged with an impressive array of physical collector’s items and in-game bonuses featuring The Nature Boy. Priced at $129.99, the Wooooo! Edition will include:

WWE 2K19 Wooooo! Edition Contents

  • Copy of WWE 2K19 Deluxe Edition, which includes the following items:
    • Exclusive Playable WWE Hall of Famers (’80s-inspired): “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Dusty Rhodes, and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
    • Exclusive Playable Characters: “Macho Man” Randy Savage (WrestleMania VIII) and Undertaker (2002)
    • Exclusive Playable Arena: Starrcade 1983
    • Exclusive In-Game Attire: Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24 Robe) and Charlotte Flair (WrestleMania 32 Robe)
    • Pre-Order Bonus Playable Characters: Rey Mysterio (Royal Rumble 2018) and Ronda Rousey (WrestleMania 34/”Rowdy” Rousey)
    • WWE SuperCard Limited Edition Cards: Featuring WWE 2K19 cover superstar AJ Styles, as well as an AJ-themed WWE 2K19 cardback
    • WWE 2K19 Season Pass: Details announced this Summer
  • Exclusive Premium Packaging
  • Exclusive WWE Hall of Fame Replica Ring: Individually numbered
  • Exclusive “Nature Boy” Ric Flair Funko Pop! Figurine
  • Fanatics Limited Edition Commemorative Plaque: Featuring a fabric piece from Ric’s iconic pink or purple robe
  • WWE SuperCard Limited Edition Cards: Featuring Ric and Charlotte Flair, as well as a Ric-themed WWE 2K19 cardback

You can get a closer look at the contents of the Wooooo! Edition in the trailer embedded above.

“For all of my fans around the world, it’s exciting and humbling to see my career immortalized through the power of video games,” said Flair. “This is going to be one stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ and dealin’ son of a collector’s edition, and you don’t want to miss out. Wooooo!”

WWE 2K19’s Wooooo! Edition will be released for the PS4 and Xbox One on October 5. The Standard Edition, which will also be available for the PC, will be released four days later on October 9.

Posted in News, PS4, Xbox One | Tagged

NIS America shines a spotlight on Crystalis in the latest SNK 40th Anniversary Collection trailer

Posted on July 25, 2018 by John Scalzo

Crystalis was a well-liked Action RPG that originally graced the NES all the way back in 1990. But it’s been impossible to find for players looking to revisit the game in the 28 years since. Thankfully, that all changes this Fall when Crystalis is reborn on the Switch as part of the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection.

Publisher NIS America recently unveiled a new Crystalis-centric trailer for the compilation, and reintroduced fans to its unique story:

Originally released in Japan as God Slayer: Haruka Tenku no Sonata, Crystalis was a game ahead of its time, sporting an elaborate story, advanced graphics, and high quality soundtrack. Today, that same cult classic returns on Nintendo Switch!

Awaken in a post-apocalyptic world, where the forbidden ways of science have been revived by the Draygonia Empire. Guided by the four wise sages and wielding the Sword of Wind, the protagonist must aid a fellow survivor named Mesia and combine the four elemental Swords of Wind, Fire, Water, and Thunder to create the legendary sword, Crystalis. Will he be able to stop the evil ambitions of Emperor Draygon in time to save the world?

Crystalis, and more than a dozen other games published by SNK, will be available in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection when it launches exclusively for the Nintendo Switch on November 13.

Posted in News, Switch | Tagged

No Man’s Sky, Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 + 2, The Banner Saga 3, more coming to Xbox Store this week

Posted on July 25, 2018 by John Scalzo

Come fly away with this week’s Xbox Games Store update…

After two years as a PC and PS4 exclusive, Hello Games will bring No Man’s Sky to the Xbox One alongside the game’s newest Next expansion. Players will be able to explore a massive universe, and now they’ll even have the chance to team up with friends thanks to a recently-added online multiplayer option.

Also available to download for the Xbox One this week is Mega Man X Legacy Collection and Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2. Capcom’s new compilations will include all eight games from the Mega Man X series, and both will gives fans the chance to glimpse rare behind-the-scenes material in the Museum Mode and do battle against two different bosses at the same time in the brand new X Challenge Mode.

Finally this week, Stoic’s Banner Saga… err… saga will come to a close with The Banner Saga 3. The strategic RPG doesn’t give players any easy answers, and the question becomes “who can you trust, how will you protect your allies, and what choices will you make as the Darkness draws near?”

You can learn more about the rest of this week’s additions to the Xbox Games Store after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox One | Tagged , ,